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I Antépara

Publications and source records attributed to I Antépara.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Specific IgG to Thermoactynomices vulgaris, Micropolyspora faeni and Aspergillus fumigatus in building workers exposed to esparto grass (plasterers) and in patients with esparto-induced hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

BACKGROUND: Esparto is one the most frequent causes of hypersensitivity pneumonitis in Spain. OBJECTIVE: Determination of risk factors in the working environment that could explain the sensitisation process, and assessment of the differences in specific IgG levels to Aspergillus fumigatus, Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula and Thermoactynomices vulgaris in patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis induced by esparto, exposed healthy plasterers and control population. METHODS: Determination of precipitins and specific IgG to Aspergillusfumigatus, Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula and Thermoactynomices vulgaris in the three previously mentioned groups. Questionnaire on possible risk occupational and extra-occupational factors. RESULTS: Both healthy and exposed plasterers have higher levels of specific IgG to Aspergillus fumigatus, Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula and Thermoactynomices vulgaris than the healthy controls. The patients had higher levels of IgG than exposed healthy plasterers only to Thermoactynomices vulgaris. Precipitins were detected in only two patients. There were no occupational factors influencing on the sensitisation process. CONCLUSIONS: Specific IgG is an occupational exposure marker among plasterers, but it has not been possible to establish a cut off point that differentiates exposed subjects from affected ones. This determination has a greater sensitivity than precipitins. We did not identify occupational or extra-occupational risk factors that facilitate the sensitisation process.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Antigen specific quantification of sulfidoleukotrienes in patients allergic to Betalactam antibiotics.

BACKGROUND: After in vitro allergen-specific stimulation, basophils become activated and release sulfidoleukotrienes LTC4, LTD4 and LTE4. This can be detected by means of the CAST assay. We assessed the positivity criteria and the reliability of antigen-specific sulfidoleukotriene production (CAST) in the in vitro diagnosis of betalactam (BL) allergic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied a sample of 67 patients (age 48.94 +/- 15.76 years) who had presented with anaphylaxis or urticaria-angioedema within the first 60 minutes after administration of Amoxicillin (54/67), Penicillin G (7/67), Cefuroxime (5/67) or Cefazoline (1/67). All of them had a positive skin test to at least one of the antigenic determinants of Penicillin. As control group 30 adults with negative skin tests who tolerated BL were included. All of them underwent skin tests, oral provocation tests, specific IgE (CAP-FEIA, Pharmacia) and CAST. RESULTS: Positivity criteria were established by means of ROC curves: a sLT release induced by Betalactams of at least 100 pg/ml and greater than or equal to 3 times the basal value. The overall sensitivity of CAST is 47.7% and specificity 83.3%. Sensitivity of specific IgE is 37.8% and specificity 83.3%. CONCLUSIONS: We have established validated positivity criteria for the CAST technique in patients allergic to Betalactams. This technique is a useful in vitro diagnostic method in patients with IgE-mediated allergy to Betalactam antibiotics.

Amoxicillin↗
PubMed2004

The flow-cytometric determination of basophil activation induced by aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is useful for in vitro diagnosis of the NSAID hypersensitivity syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Hypersensitivity reactions to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), manifested by cutaneous symptoms and/or airway manifestations represent 20-25% of all hypersensitivity reactions to drugs. Today, it is still claimed that no in vitro diagnostic tests exist for that condition and that the only way to confirm the diagnosis is a provocation challenge. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess whether NSAIDs may provoke blood basophil activation in vitro in such patients, as detected by a flowcytometric technique. METHODS: Sixty NSAID hypersensitive patients (38 with cutaneous, 20 with airway and two with cutaneous and airway symptoms) and 30 control patients (15 asthmatics) were selected. Their hypersensitivity was confirmed by documented history indicating at least two clinical episodes to two or more different NSAIDs or by positive oral provocation challenge. Isolated buffy coat leukocytes were stimulated in vitro with aspirin, paracetamol, metamizol, diclofenac, and naproxen. The percentage of activated basophils was evaluated by an anti-CD63. RESULTS: Aspirin showed a sensitivity of 43.3%, a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 99.4%. For the other NSAIDs, the sensitivity and specificity values were: for paracetamol 11.7% and 100%, for metamizol 15% and 100%, for diclofenac 43.3% and 93.3% and for naproxen 54.8% and 74.1%. When considering the first four NSAIDs, the global sensitivity raised to 63.3% and specificity to 93.3%. If the number of tests is to be limited for practical reasons, the combination of acetylsalicylic acid and diclofenac at two concentrations yields a sensitivity of 58.3% and a specificity of 93.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Flowcytometric determinations of basophil activation following stimulation with NSAIDs show a high sensitivity (60-70%) with specificity above 90%. So this test may help avoiding some cumbersome and dangerous provocation challenges.

Acetaminophen↗
PubMed2004

Basophil activation and sulfidoleukotriene production in patients with immediate allergy to betalactam antibiotics and negative skin tests.

BACKGROUND: New in vitro diagnostic methods for IgE-mediated drug allergic reactions, such as basophil activation test and antigen specific sulfidoleukotriene test, have proven their usefulness in patients with positive skin tests. OBJECTIVE: To assess the usefulness of basophil activation test and antigen specific sulfidoleukotriene test in the diagnosis of patients with IgE-mediated allergy to Betalactam antibiotics and negative skin tests. METHODS: The 23 patients included in the study underwent basophil activation test, antigen specific sulfidoleukotriene test and specific IgE. The patients were classified into three groups. GROUP A: patients with positive specific IgE. GROUP B: patients with a unique immediate reaction to Betalactams, negative specific IgE and positive oral provocation tests. And Group C: patients with at least two immediate reactions induced by Betalactams and negative specific IgE. RESULTS: The sensitivity/specificity of the different tests are: basophil activation test 39.1 %/93.3%, antigen specific sulfidoleukotriene test 22.7%/83.3%, specific IgE 21.7%/86.7%. The joint use of the three tests allows diagnosis of 60.9% of the patients. CONCLUSION: In vitro diagnostic tests, especially basophil activation test, are very important tools in the diagnosis of patients with IgE-mediated allergy to Betalactams and negative skin tests, avoiding performance of potentially dangerous oral provocation tests in a high percentage of cases.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Use of CD63 expression as a marker of in vitro basophil activation and leukotriene determination in metamizol allergic patients.

BACKGROUND: We assessed the reliability of basophil activation test (FAST) and sulphidoleukotriene production (CAST) in the in vitro diagnosis of allergy to metamizol, evaluating its sensitivity and specificity. METHODS: Twenty-six patients allergic to metamizol and 30 control individuals were studied. Skin tests with metamizol, FAST, and CAST were performed. RESULTS: FAST sensitivity was 42.3% and specificity 100%. The PPV of FAST is 100% and the NPV 99.4%. The likelihood ratio for a positive value cannot be calculated because the specificity is 100% and the likelihood ratio for a negative value is 0.58. CAST sensitivity was 52%, and specificity 90%. The PPV of the test is 5% and the NPV 99.5%. The likelihood ratio for a positive result was 5.2 and that for a negative result 0.53. FAST detects a larger number of cases when patients are studied within the first 6 months after the clinical reaction (chi = 4.2, P = 0.04) than later. Together with skin tests, FAST allowed detection of 69.2% patients allergic to metamizol, the same as CAST 76%. The joint use of the three techniques allowed identification of 76.9% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: FAST and CAST are useful for the diagnosis of allergy to pyrazolones. Its usefulness clearly increases when recent reactions are studied.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Flow cytometric basophil activation test by detection of CD63 expression in patients with immediate-type reactions to betalactam antibiotics.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we used flow cytometry to determine the percentage of activated basophils that expressed the CD63 marker after in vitro stimulation by different betalactam antibiotics. The diagnostic reliability of the technique was assessed, as well as its correlation with specific IgE. METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with clinical allergy to betalactam antibiotics and presenting positive skin tests to at least one of the allergens (minor determinant mixture (MDM), benzylpenicilloyl-polylysine (PPL), penicillin, ampicillin, amoxicillin, cephalosporins) were tested. Thirty subjects non-allergic to betalactams were also studied as controls. The flow assay stimulation test (FAST) uses flow cytometry to determine the percentage of basophils that express CD63 as an activation marker after in vitro stimulation with allergen. Double labelling with monoclonal antibodies anti-CD63-PE and anti-IgE FITC was used. RESULTS: The allergic patients show a statistically greater number of activated basophils than the control subjects, after the incubation of cells with all the betalactams at various concentrations. The sensitivity of the technique is 50%, the specificity 93.3%, the likelihood ratio for a positive value 7.46 and the likelihood ratio for a negative value 0.54. In spite of having a greater sensitivity (37.9%) and specificity (86.7%) than CAP, differences between sensitivity and specificities of both techniques (CAP and FAST) do not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The basophil activation test is a particularly useful technique in the diagnosis of patients with IgE-mediated allergy to betalactams and allows the identification of 50% of patients. Used in conjunction with CAP, it allows the identification of 65.5% of such patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Occupational asthma in a coal miner.

Occupational asthma in coal miners is hardly recognised. A report is presented of a coal miner whose clinical picture suggested a respiratory allergy which occurred only in the mine where he worked. Serum specific IgE levels, skin tests, and bronchial provocation tests with different commercial extracts showed sensitisation to Rhizopus nigricans. Rhizopus spp were found inside the mine, as demonstrated by cultures on petri plates.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Pollen allergy in the Bilbao area (European Atlantic seaboard climate): pollination forecasting methods.

Forecasting pollination can help the allergist to establish the appropriate treatment and advice for patients. Based on previous studies, we have related the climate variables with the grass pollen counts in the search for pollination predictors. By relating the meteorological data of the temperature recorded every 6 h and of the rainfall in hourly periods, together with the daily pollen counts obtained by the Hirst volumetric system, over a period of 3 years, we have tried to predict the start, duration and severity of the grass pollination, as well as the days of peak pollination. We have established a relationship by means of a polynomic regression originating from the mean cumulated temperature higher than 9 degrees C [R2 = 0.927 (P = 0.0001)], with the pollination season starting from 300 degrees C and the maximum peak at 356 degrees C, in the 3 years of the study. During the days of pollination, peaks higher than 50 grains/m3 coincide with average daily temperatures of 18.7 +/- 3 and lower than 50 grains/m3 with temperatures of 16.8 +/- 3 (significant to 95%). The duration of the pollination is influenced by the cumulated average temperatures (from 800 to 900 degrees C) and especially by precipitation at the start of and during pollination. In order to forecast grass pollination, the cumulated average temperatures are useful, starting from a basal (9 degrees C), pollination begins when this sum is greater than 300 degrees C, whereas when 800 degrees C is reached and depending on the rainfall during the season, pollination will end.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Climate↗